Automobile manufacturers do not currently mass-produce passenger motor vehicles specifically designed to transport passengers having physical limitations, either as a driver or as a non-driving passenger. Consequently, mass-produced passenger vehicles are modified, or retrofitted, by a number of aftermarket companies dedicated to supplying vehicles to physically limited passengers. Such vehicles can be modified by removing certain parts or structures within a vehicle and replacing those parts with parts specifically designed to accommodate the physically limited passenger. For example, in one configuration, a van is retrofitted with a ramp to enable a physically limited individual using a wheelchair to enter and exit the vehicle without the assistance of another individual.
Other known products for retrofitting a vehicle, such as a van, include wheel chair lifts, lift platforms, and lowered floor surfaces. In some instances, a floor of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) vehicle is lowered or otherwise modified to accommodate an entry and exit of the physically limited individual through a side door or entrance of the vehicle. Once inside the vehicle, individual who uses the assisted entrance is located in a rear passenger compartment of the vehicle adjacent to or behind the side entrance.
In one known retrofitted vehicle, a floor of the OEM vehicle is lowered to accommodate the physically limited passenger, e.g., one seated in a wheelchair. In some vehicles, which are considered as viable candidates for retrofitting, the construction of the OEM vehicle requires significant modification to accommodate the lowered floor. Not only must a subfloor be added, but additional floor space inside the vehicle, and in particular, the rear passenger compartment. Consequently, what is needed is a modification to an OEM vehicle which reduces the amount of changes required to retrofit the OEM vehicle to provide access to individuals confined to a wheelchair or other mobility alternatives to wheelchairs.